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Leo Varadkar Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Just under half of people trust the government

One in five people aren’t sure what they think, according to a new poll.

LESS THAN HALF of people trust the government, according to a new opinion poll.

A poll carried out by Amarách Research for Claire Byrne Live asked over 1,000 adults if they trust the current government.

Just under half (44%) said yes, 35% said no and one in five (21%) said they didn’t know.

The government came under fire recently after questions were raised about how advertorials in newspapers were presented during the €1.5 million rollout of Project Ireland 2040 (a plan outlining infrastructure and investment goals for the country) .

Last week the Ireland edition of The Times reported that regional newspapers were directed to make articles about the plan appear like regular news items, rather than paid-for content.

SCU

Yesterday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar admitted that the Strategic Communications Unit (SCU) is distracting from the work of government.

Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Varadkar said the Secretary General at the Department of the Taoiseach was carrying out a review of the operations of the SCU and that the unit may be scrapped.

Varadkar said there were issues with how the advertisements were put in place and that it “could have been done better”.

I think there are things that could have been done better so I’ve issued very clear instructions as to how things should operate in the future when it comes to any paid-for advertisement from government.

“Some things were too loose and that’s why I’ve put in place those new rules so those things don’t happen again.”

Read: ‘A distraction’: Review will look at abolishing the Strategic Communications Unit

Read: ‘Definitely not’: Varadkar pours cold water on US/Canada-style border after May comments

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    Mute Niall O D
    Favourite Niall O D
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    May 28th 2017, 10:26 AM

    I don’t really see why this furniture can’t be moved to their new premises about a mile down the road. Maybe it doesn’t match the new carpets.

    368
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    Mute Donal Proctor
    Favourite Donal Proctor
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    May 28th 2017, 10:32 AM

    @Niall O D: why didn’t they keep the old building as well if your going down that route

    80
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    Mute Shane Corry
    Favourite Shane Corry
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    May 28th 2017, 10:43 AM

    @Niall O D: Most of it looks old enough to not really be worth much anyhow, seems to be why they chose an antiques dealer.

    27
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    Mute Des Perkins
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    May 29th 2017, 12:28 AM

    @Donal Proctor:The new building has doors that left handed people can use,Money well spent I think.

    4
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    Mute Séa Graham
    Favourite Séa Graham
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    May 28th 2017, 10:16 AM

    Wonder if they reformatted the hard drives in those photocopiers. Could make for some interesting reading otherwise.

    148
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    Mute Normal Josephine
    Favourite Normal Josephine
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    May 28th 2017, 10:30 AM

    @Séa Graham: hmmmm… worth a punt or even a Euro! Secret compartments and all perhaps? Personally I’d be afraid I’d catch something off them.

    36
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    Mute The Guru
    Favourite The Guru
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    May 28th 2017, 10:35 AM

    @Normal Josephine: they’ve probably barely been used. The shredders on the other hand…

    132
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    Mute Muiris O'Daltuin
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    May 28th 2017, 10:44 AM

    @Séa Graham: Reformatted? I’d say those things were microwaved and burned. I couldn’t see them just leaving evidence of the largest fraud in history just laying about the place.

    34
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    Mute Normal Josephine
    Favourite Normal Josephine
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    May 28th 2017, 11:43 AM

    @The Guru: it would be funny if it hadn’t cost us all so much!

    22
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    Mute León O'Keeffe
    Favourite León O'Keeffe
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    May 28th 2017, 1:56 PM

    @The Guru: no shredders are available for sale as all have been burnt out due to excess usagw

    12
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    Mute Brian Ward
    Favourite Brian Ward
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    May 28th 2017, 10:22 AM

    Any printing press and plates going? €50 notes preferably.

    84
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    Mute Rockhopper617
    Favourite Rockhopper617
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    May 28th 2017, 10:29 AM

    @Brian Ward: don’t be greedy. I’ll settle for 5 or 10s

    41
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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
    Favourite Alois Irlmaier
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    May 29th 2017, 12:07 AM

    @Brian Ward: A press for Printing get out of jail free cards as well lol.

    5
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    Mute alphanautica
    Favourite alphanautica
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    May 28th 2017, 11:01 AM

    The Microsoft Solitaire burn-in on the computer monitors should see them available at a steep discount at auction.

    63
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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
    Favourite Alois Irlmaier
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    May 29th 2017, 12:08 AM

    @alphanautica: Can you imagine using software to undelete what was on those hard drives lol.

    1
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    Mute Oh Sheeple Stand Up
    Favourite Oh Sheeple Stand Up
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    May 28th 2017, 10:39 AM

    I have no doubt considering he knew he was the only one tendering there was a maximum return for the state. State of balance for whoever awarded the tender knowing this country

    41
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    Mute Donal Proctor
    Favourite Donal Proctor
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    May 28th 2017, 10:19 AM

    Should give the money to charity

    34
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    Mute Alan Curran
    Favourite Alan Curran
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    May 28th 2017, 10:54 AM

    @Donal Proctor: sure you wouldn’t know where the money was going there either

    79
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    Mute Donal Proctor
    Favourite Donal Proctor
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    May 28th 2017, 12:26 PM

    @Alan Curran: sad but true

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    Mute Jane Alford
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    May 28th 2017, 2:38 PM

    @Donal Proctor: Should put the money back into the state pension pot that was raided to prop the banks up…

    4
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    Mute Donal Proctor
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    May 28th 2017, 6:43 PM

    @Jane Alford: perhaps was more thinking the homeless

    1
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    Mute Garreth Byrne
    Favourite Garreth Byrne
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    May 28th 2017, 12:34 PM

    Why didn’t they offer all this stuff to the European Central Bank as part payment-in-kind of interest on the Bailout?

    21
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    Mute Rory J Leonard
    Favourite Rory J Leonard
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    May 28th 2017, 1:22 PM

    @Garreth Byrne:

    All was offered to the ECB!

    However, since the gas regulators used in the barista bar at the old CB building are a different fitting to that allowed in Germany, the offer was declined.

    It was obviously an all or nothing type of deal on those 5,000 items in question. You know yourself…

    4
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    Mute Garreth Byrne
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    May 28th 2017, 8:47 PM

    @Rory J Leonard: Then what about the stockpile of paperclips? Surely the Germans use an international size for them.

    2
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    Mute Maurice Henderson
    Favourite Maurice Henderson
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    May 28th 2017, 11:39 AM

    Must have been some interesting conversations at those water coolers

    15
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    Mute Each Way Thief
    Favourite Each Way Thief
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    May 28th 2017, 8:57 PM

    The Bank asked Niall Mullen to buy all the contents. Who else did they ask? Was it on etenders?
    He agrees and its now going to auction.
    You can be sure he bought the contents for a song.

    Why didnt the Bank send it straight to auction themselves?
    Doesn’t sound right to me.

    14
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    Mute Sean Lynch
    Favourite Sean Lynch
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    May 28th 2017, 2:28 PM

    Excessive amounts of brown manila envelopes are up too

    12
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    Mute Ultan
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    May 28th 2017, 11:43 AM

    Either the motors on the shredders are burned out or they’re keeping them.

    18
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    Mute Peter McGlynn
    Favourite Peter McGlynn
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    May 28th 2017, 11:03 AM

    Where can they be viewed?

    8
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    Mute Eddie Cullen
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    May 28th 2017, 12:07 PM

    @Peter McGlynn:
    Sean Eacrett Auctions
    Ballyshaneduff
    Ballybrittas
    Co. Laois
    Ireland
    R32D932
    Ireland

    7
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    Mute Greg Rogers
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    May 28th 2017, 3:29 PM

    For years I’ve overheard Dublin Walking Tour Guides describe the former Central Bank edifice as the most hideous building in Dublin City. One would wonder why it would merit “listed status”. Not the only example of tasteless 70′s design by Mr Stephenson who’s architectural style is officially classified as “Brutalist” in architectural circles or just plain “brutal” in Dublin colloquial speak.

    6
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    Mute Patrick Morgan
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    May 29th 2017, 12:01 PM

    I’d say there was some sneacta snorted from that boardroom table

    3
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    Mute Rld Rachel Time
    Favourite Rld Rachel Time
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    Jun 1st 2017, 7:10 PM

    The creation of double speak employment.

    1
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    Mute Paul Cooper
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    May 28th 2017, 12:21 PM

    Should it not be free to take away since we own it all ready

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    Mute Richard Whelan
    Favourite Richard Whelan
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    May 30th 2017, 6:31 PM

    Most of the stuff is rubbish

    1
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